Much of the classical literature discussing liberty is based on the idea of a social contract, where we agree to give certain powers to government and the government uses those powers to protect our rights. This is necessary, we’re told, because otherwise we would unravel into a “state of nature” where everyone would fight against everyone else, leading to an existence Thomas Hobbes described as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” After all, according to James Madison, if men were angels no government would be needed, right?

What if Hobbes and Madison were mistaken? Continue reading Book Review: Liberty, Dicta and Force →